The Blink of an Eye
This is my contribution to Sobevember (Sober November), a tribute to a friend.
The Blink of an Eye
This is my contribution to Sobevember (Sober November), a tribute to a friend. This is based loosely on a true story of people I know personally. On an even more personal note, if you're part of the crowd that thinks driving under the influence is fun and cool, we'll probably never be friends. I've lost too many friends and family because of and from it.
"What does she see in me?" I wondered as I stared at my reflection in the mirror, not much to look at really. A little pudgy around the belly, but I suppose an alright face if you discount the greying muzzle hair. Over my reflections shoulder I could still see her laying belly down on the bed, a pillow covering her face from the morning sun. Her long tail swaying as if caught in a gentle breeze, the faint sound of her purring indicating she was having a happy dream.
"I'll see you soon after my trip love, I have something very important to ask you when I get back." I gently whispered to her, not wanting to wake her up. Grabbing my bags and tiptoeing from the room to get dressed and leave for my flight to Dubai for our annual business retreat. Life couldn't get any better than this, a job I was passionate about and a woman that loved me for me. There was no other reason for her to stick around, I mean I wasn't rich or particularly good looking. She came from money and was an absolute knockout beauty whom could have anyone she wanted. Yet here she was all these years later, sharing a bed with a common mutt.
As the plane engines roared to life and the force pushed me back into my seat, the sudden dread and fear I always felt from flying began to set in. My palms getting clammy, knuckles turning white as the armrests were gripped with the force of a gorilla's handshake. In times like these there is only one thing that calms me, her beautiful smiling face. The way her eyes light up as she looks at me, the slightly crooked smile on her lips that still makes my heart flutter like a nervous schoolgirl every time I see it.
Right from the first time I saw her, there was always just something familiar about her. Some folks describe it as 'coming home' to someone. Right from junior school, the moment I heard that laugh from across the room and turned to see the musical sound coming from the small little calico in the corner, the rest of the world seemed to fade away. When she noticed me staring, she stared back too, at least for a moment. Then she put her paws to her ears and stuck out her tongue to make a face at me, instantly turning my ears red enough to stop traffic. That's how it went for years afterwards, somehow we always seemed to end up at the same schools and often the same classes. I remember the first day of high school walking nervously into the large grounds with other much older and larger furs as far as the eye could see. I felt so invisible and insignificant, wishing the earth would open up and swallow me whole. Before I could sink too far into what probably would've sent me down the classic emo path I felt a sudden tug on my tail with a loud and happy "Hey scruffy mutt!" yelled into my ear. I damn near dropped everything I was carrying from being so startled, but whatever anger that started to well up in me vanished the moment I turned around to see that familiar smiling face. Her paw lightly tapping against my behind as my tail began to wag of its own accord as she had failed to release it in time. "Hey, I only spank people on the third date." God that laugh was magical, the world was silent again and only those emerald eyes danced before me. I could swear she could hear my heart pounding in my chest as it raced a mile a minute. Thankfully before my ears could turn anymore red she spotted some other friends and rushed off to greet them, leaving me looking like an idiot wagging my tail at an empty hallway.
So it continued for the rest of our school career, taking classes together and becoming friends as the years went on. She was my constant counsel for dating advice for the rare occasions when I found someone willing to give me a chance, while I was her shoulder to cry on or simple pair of ears to listen to her vent about her dozens of boyfriends. Even after we graduated high school and went to different universities we stayed in contact, visiting each other when we had our holidays. Her staying in with me playing games in my dorm room while she dragged me out with her friends to numerous parties where she often was the centre of attention. No matter where we went she had a way of making it exciting and fun, even something as mundane as shopping for groceries often ended in fits of laughter and odd looks from strangers as she sung the theme from Titanic at the top of her lungs into a soup ladle. Following me up and down isles commentating on my poor dietary choices like it was a top level sports event, or even more embarrassing acting like a feral cat and swiping at the fish in the tanks at the local pet store. I loved every second of it.
It happened so suddenly I sat there in stunned silence, not sure I'd heard her right.
"We should date." She stated simply while picking at her sweet and sour pork as we had dinner at my place that evening.
"What?" I asked around a mouthful of egg fried rice, spilling it all over my lap like I was the village idiot and lacking in mental capacity.
"I'm serious, we should date. I'm tired of assholes, I think it's time I upgrade to just an ass." Sure she'd just called me an ass, but there was that little crooked smile again as she stared at me from across the table.
"O...okay, are you sure?" I mumbled as if I'd only just learned to talk, half expecting her friends to jump out from hiding and yell surprise.
"Yeah, why not? We've seen each other naked after all." She said that with such a straight face I half believed she knew I'd snuck a peek or two over the years when she came out the shower while I visited. There was no way she could miss my blush this time, it was all I could do to stop myself from whining like a whipped dog.
"Well at least I have anyway, nice penis by the way. You really should learn not to make so much noise when you jerk off though." Apprently I could blush more I quickly found out as she continued. I found out she was not as heavy a sleeper as she had led me to believe during my visits. There was no way I was going to admit I was beating the meat to my first glimpse of her naked topless reflection in the mirror the one time I managed to get clear view without her noticing.
This would be the first night we really saw each other naked, me feeling like I was staring at a work of art bathed in moonlight as she stood in front of my apartment window. Meanwhile I was thankful I was hidden beneath her shadow, hiding most of my flaws I imagined to be there. She slept over that night, wrapped up in my arms until my shoulder started to ache before rolling over into the classic big spoon and little spoon position. Despite having already done the deed I did try to be a gentleman and not rub my morning wood against her bare rear, my back hurting from the odd angle I had to lay to accomplish this. The fact she kept scooting back against me was not helping matters, assuming she was just asleep and seeking my body warmth I kept arching my hips further back not to poke her with it. "Stop being so shy, we've already done it for Gods sake. I don't care if you rub it on my ass, but it's only going in there on our anniversary next year." That broke the tension I was feeling more effectively than a lightsaber through a marshmallow. I packed up laughing, hugging her small form against my chest and kissing behind the closest ear, at which she complained because it made her ear ring like she had tinnitus. The rest of the morning we spent in each other's arms, talking about anything and everything, at least when we weren't making love that is. She left later that afternoon, but only to return with a couple bags of stuff as she moved in with me.
The next couple of years flew by so fast, both finding work we loved and enjoyed, building my self-confidence and in turn making our relationship stronger as we experienced so many new things together. No matter how hard or trying the times, coming home to her ever smiling face always made my troubles seem less. On the rare days when she wasn't smiling, it didn't take much more than a bit of play wrestling or just a really tight hug she couldn't squirm her way out of to brighten her mood. That's how it went and neither of us could be happier, but as normally happens with long term relationships eventually our friends began to pair off and settle down, soon turning to us asking when we'd tie the knot. "Oh he tied the knot last night alright, I'm still rather sore." She often replied to her friends, which either ceased all conversation immediately as everyone blushed and felt extremely awkward, or would have everyone laughing and successfully divert the conversation.
In truth we had both discussed the prospect and had decided it was on the cards, but not until we were both settled in our jobs and had a real house of our own to start a family in. We had finally just moved into our house a few months prior to my business trip, but she hadn't said anything about us getting married though. During all the hustle and bustle of making our house into a home I assumed she had forgotten about our conversation, but I certainly hadn't. While on my business trip to Dubai I had stopped by nearly every jewellery store I could find to get the perfect engagement ring. After all my searching I realized she wasn't the typical woman and the ring didn't matter, a simple white gold band with a single diamond on it was the perfect choice. It was simple yet elegant, beautiful in its own way as it didn't try stand out from all the other flashy gold rings. It fit her perfectly. I didn't even bother trying to barter for a better price despite the protestations of my colleagues, she was worth every cent. That night with trembling fingers I dialled her father's number, a few times if I'm honest as I kept hanging up before it even rang. I'm not normally a drinker but even if there was any booze anywhere I would've probably had a few shots to calm my nerves and give me some Dutch courage. Finally after a few deep breaths I plucked up the courage and dialled her father's number. He could tell instantly from the tone in my voice this was a serious conversation, though when I did finally ask for permission to marry his daughter he bust up laughing and stated "Well it's about damn time, son."
I barely slept that night and even arrived at the airport a couple hours earlier than I needed to. I was so eager to get back and put my plan into motion. I would arrive back on her birthday knowing she was expecting a little gift from Dubai, but I had something bigger planned. I must have checked my pocket every five seconds to make sure the ring was still there all through the flight and even on the cab ride home.
When we pulled up to our house there were a lot of cars parked outside, I assumed Taryn must just be having a little get together and this played into my plan even more as I would be able to upstage all the gifts her friends would've gotten her. The moment I stepped through the front door and saw everyone sitting in silence in the living room a cold chill ran down my spine. The look my mother gave me knocked the breath from my lungs.
"Mom, where's Taryn..."
"She...she went to go get something to surprise you this morning...and...and..."
"Mom, where's Taryn!?" I didn't mean to yell, I swear I didn't.
"...and the other car...he...he didn't stop, he just...oh God, I'm so sorry...." Tears were streaming down my face now. I felt numb and cold, the room started spinning and I wanted to be sick.
"Where's Taryn..." I begged, not wanting to know the answer.
"They tried to resuscitate her on the scene, but there was just too much damage. I'm so sorry..." I turned to look at the voice and face of someone I didn't recognize, but from the uniform I knew he must have been one of the policemen involved in the investigation. He was still talking as I looked down at my hand, the small black box creaking as I gripped it tight enough for the corners to cut into my palm.
"Sir...sir? We need you to come identify the body...sir? Can you hear me?"
That morning Taryn must have known something special was going to happen. She had gotten dressed up and told her friends to prepare for a big surprise that night. After that she had gotten into her little hatchback and was heading to the store to pick up some of that awful pink champagne she enjoyed. As she was pulling into the intersection a drunk driver came barrelling down the road and ploughed straight into her car. They said it didn't look like he even tried to break judging by the skid marks on the road. He was in an older model car, it was big and heavy, there was no way Taryn's little car would withstand that impact. A lifetime of promise was taken from me that day, everything we'd worked to build together, all taken in the blink of an eye.
In loving memory of Taryn. https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/heathcotes-boyfriend-was-planning-on-prosposing-to-her-20160417